The best mid cap funds

The standard definition of a mid cap stock is one that has a market capitalization of 500 million to 5 billion. (That’s the total number of shares of a company multiplied by the share price of a company.) A mid cap stock fund is a mutual fund that invests primarily in this range. Not all funds classified as mid cap funds are true mid cap funds. Many of these funds buy large small and mid cap stocks. Some dabble in global investing. Others could almost be classified as a balanced fund.

Many of these funds have excellent track records and fit very well into an investors portfolio. Many of these funds are good choices for a beginning investor who wants a broad diversification in just one fund. An individual can start investing in the Gabelli Asset Fund with as little as 250 dollars. This is a great way to start investing!

The Gabelli Asset Fund symbol GABAX

This fund is one of the most diversified funds around. It has been run by the funds founder Mario Gabelli since 1986. This fund averages just over 500 individual holdings some of them are closed end funds of other fund companies. This fund invests both in US based companies as well as companies from around the globe. This fund invests heavily in mergers and acquisitions, meaning they invest in companies in the process of being acquired. This fund can hold a significant number of fixed income investments. As a result this fund is less volatile than most funds acting at times similar to a balanced fund. This fund is up 4.7 percent per year over the last ten against the Standard and Poors 500 index which is down just over 2 percent per year over that time frame. Since this funds inception on March 3, 1986 this fund is up a whopping 11.9 percent per year.

For closed end fund investors The Gabelli Equity Trust symbol GAB trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Both funds have similar holdings and have had similar returns.

The Janus Orion Fund symbol JANRX

This fund is more like a concentrated portfolio fund having nearly six percent of the funds assets in the top holdings. Like the Gabelli fund this fund is a global fund with a clear majority of the funds assets in North America. This fund could be classified as a large cap fund since many of the funds investments are in the large cap area. This fund is up almost 8 percent per year for the last five years and up almost 80 percent in the past year at the time of this writing.

The FMI Common Stock fund symbol FMIMX

This fund is more of a classic mid cap fund. This value fund holds about 100 stocks in the funds portfolio. The returns on this fund have been nothing short of fantastic. As of this writing up over 65 percent over the past year, up almost 10.6 percent per year over the last ten years, during the last twenty years the fund is up 11.45 percent and since the funds inception in late 1981 the fund is up over 12 percent per year.

The Perkins Mid Cap Value Fund symbol JNMCX

This fund is nearly as diversified as the Gabelli Asset Fund with about 300 holdings. Most of the fund’s exposure is to North America. This fund is a value orientated fund seeking business with strong balance sheets. This fund is up nearly 54 percent in the past year and up over 11 percent per year in the last ten years.

For most investors the author recommends the investor develop their own asset allocation and invest in the best funds in those asset classes. Once the investor has their asset allocation select the best small cap, mid cap, large cap , global, bond, and even concentrated portfolio funds for their portfolio.

Regardless if you are investing in your IRA, 401K, 403B or taxable account invest your money wisely. How you invest is equally as important as how much you invest.